Site determination for artisanal rock carbonate processing using qualitative multifactor analysis - case studies: Malawi and South Africa

A techno-economic assessment of rock carbonate deposits in Malawi and South Africa was conducted using a qualitative analytical approach. This was done to identify occurrences that were amenable to Portland cement production by artisanal to small-scale methods. First, geographic information system (...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 2019-01, Vol.74 (1), p.55-66
Main Authors: Senzani, F.E.D., Mulaba-Bafubiandi, A.F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artisanal
Clinker
Criteria
geographic information system (GIS)
Infrastructure
Labour-intensive
Limestone
Marble
Mineral deposit
Mineral processing
Multifactor
Natural rock carbonate
Portland cement
Reconnaissance
Site selection
Stratigraphy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A techno-economic assessment of rock carbonate deposits in Malawi and South Africa was conducted using a qualitative analytical approach. This was done to identify occurrences that were amenable to Portland cement production by artisanal to small-scale methods. First, geographic information system (GIS) software was used to capture sites or clusters of sites and chemical characteristics of natural carbonate deposits in the two countries. In addition to the geological setting and chemical composition, other factors plotted were nearness to transport and electric power infrastructure, surface water sources as well as areas or centres with high human population density. In Malawi, three targets for potential small-scale Portland cement production are identified at Mkamasa and Mwapu-Sere in the Northern Region and Songwe Hill in the Southern Region. This is out of 58 potential sites scattered around the country. For South Africa, a similar analysis reduces the 709 potential sites to four. These fall on the farms Wieduow in the Western Cape Province, Syferfontein and Rietfontein in the Limpopo Province and Rooikop in the Free State Province. The study has, in addition, revealed that there are also many deposits with very little chemical data, some of which may have better potential for exploitation.
ISSN:0035-919X
2154-0098
DOI:10.1080/0035919X.2018.1564400